Countries in Antarctica

In the world’s southernmost continent, Antarctica, which lies within the Antarctic Circle and is encircled by the Southern Ocean, is located. It is the 5th largest continent, with 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles). Almost 98 percent of the continent is covered in ice that is a mile thick, making for harsh terrain with few settled populations. In 2016, the largest population reported was a little over 4,000 people.

The people of Antarctica are mostly scientists working on research projects. The number of residents varies from roughly 1,100 during the severe Antarctic winter to around 4,400 during the calmer summer months of October to February, with an additional 1,000 employees stationed nearby.

There are no indigenous peoples in Antarctica, only permanent and seasonal employees at several research stations. There are generally an extra 1,000 people on board, including the ship’s crew and scientists conducting on-board research in the treaty territory of Antarctica, in addition to the 1,100 to 4,400 research employees. The population of Antarctica is kept up to date in the CIA World Factbook. The CIA World Factbook has a complete list, but these are the countries with at least 100 individuals in Antarctica during the peak summer season: